Publications by authors named "Alex Kopelowicz"

Schizophrenia is associated with a heavy economic burden in the United States that is partly due to the high rates of chronic unemployment. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidenced-based type of supported employment that can improve job obtainment and work outcomes in psychotic disorders. Outcomes vary widely and a persistent challenge for IPS is low levels of engagement in the initial job search phase.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the benefits of a diabetes self-management program led by registered nurses (RNs) versus community health workers () for Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: Three hundred thirty Spanish-speaking Mexican American adults with T2DM were randomly assigned to "Tomando Control de Su Diabetes" delivered for six 2.5-hour sessions either by or RNs.

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Purpose: This study (a) documents the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and (b) examines both social and clinical correlates of DUP in a sample of U.S. Latinxs with first-episode psychosis (FEP).

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In the United States, the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected the Latinx community. Within the Latinx community, people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are more susceptible to exposure to the virus. Given their increased risk of contracting and getting sick from the virus, efforts targeting the Latinx population should focus on increasing knowledge and safe practices associated with COVID-19.

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Background: The rate of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among Mexican American individuals is 16.3%, about twice that of non-Hispanic White individuals. While a number of education approaches have been developed and shown to improve diabetes self-management behaviors and glycemic control for Spanish-speaking Latinx patients with T2DM, there is little research to guide health practitioners regarding which interventions to apply and when so that resources are used efficiently, and treatment outcomes are maximized.

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Objective: To carry out and evaluate a communications campaign (La CLAve) to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in a U.S. Latinx community.

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We apply social identity theory and self-categorization theory to examine the role of social identities in relation to the recovery of persons with schizophrenia. We assess whether illness-based and non-illness-based identities held by both those with schizophrenia and their caregivers explain additional variance in social functioning in persons with schizophrenia beyond the previously established predictors of negative symptoms and theory of mind. Sixty Mexican-origin adults diagnosed with schizophrenia and their family caregivers were obtained through an outpatient mental health clinic located in either Los Angeles, CA, or in Puebla, Mexico.

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To explore the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 infection in the psychiatric emergency room setting. A Cross-sectional retrospective chart review was used to determine the point-prevalence of SARS-CoV2 infection and the characteristics of those infected. Of the patients tested for SARS-CoV2, 23/1057 (2.

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Models of cultural competence highlight the importance of the sociocultural world that is inhabited by patients, and the question of how best to integrate sociocultural factors into clinical assessment and intervention. However, one significant limitation of such approaches is that they leave unclear what type of in-session therapist behaviors actually reflect cultural competence. We draw on the Shifting Cultural Lenses model to operationalize culturally competent in-session behaviors.

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Objective: The study examined psychosis literacy among Latinos with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and their caregivers. The authors tested a model that knowledge of psychosis and attribution of illness to psychosis predicted professional help seeking in a cross-sectional design.

Methods: The sample (N=148) consisted of 79 Latino consumers who met criteria for a clinical diagnosis of a psychotic disorder and 69 family caregivers.

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This study examined the views about the future of persons with schizophrenia and their caregivers to understand what is at stake in engaging in recovery. The views of 60 Mexican-origin consumer-caregiver dyads were coded by three independent raters using a recovery literature-based coding system of recovery components: social relations, caregiving burden relief, independence, self-responsibility, and empowerment. General recovery expectations were also rated.

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Background: Comorbid depression is a significant challenge for safety-net primary care systems. Team-based collaborative depression care is effective, but complex system factors in safety-net organizations impede adoption and result in persistent disparities in outcomes. Diabetes-Depression Care-management Adoption Trial (DCAT) evaluated whether depression care could be significantly improved by harnessing information and communication technologies to automate routine screening and monitoring of patient symptoms and treatment adherence and allow timely communication with providers.

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Recruitment of immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities with first-episode psychosis (FEP) for research studies presents numerous challenges. We describe methods used to recruit 43 U.S.

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Background: Medication nonadherence is common in the treatment of serious mental illness (SMI) and leads to poor outcomes. The digital medicine system (DMS) objectively measures adherence with oral aripiprazole in near-real time, allowing recognition of adherence issues. This pilot study evaluated the functionality of an integrated call center in optimizing the use of the DMS.

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Background: Heterogeneity in work outcomes is common among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI).

Objective: In 2 studies, we sought to examine the efficacy of adding errorless learning, a behavioral training intervention, to evidence-based supported employment to improve SMI work outcomes. Work behavior problems were targeted for intervention.

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Objectives: This study tested an attribution model of help-giving in family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia as it relates to caregivers' reported burden. We hypothesized (a) that caregivers' attributions of their ill relatives' responsibility for their symptoms would be associated with more negative and less positive affective reactions, (b) that affective reactions would be related to perceptions of administered support, and (c) that support would in turn predict greater burden.

Methods: We examined 60 family caregivers of Mexican origin living in Southern California.

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Objective: In a pragmatic clinical trial, this study sought to compare relapses among patients receiving either long-acting injectable or oral second-generation antipsychotics.

Methods: PROACTIVE (Preventing Relapse Oral Antipsychotics Compared to Injectables Evaluating Efficacy), a prior 30-month relapse prevention study, compared use of a long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotic with use of an oral second-generation antipsychotic by 305 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and found similar rates of first relapse between groups (42% with injectable medication, 32% with oral medication). This study examined subsequent relapses among patients who had relapsed in PROACTIVE and who continued in treatment, follow-up, or both.

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If treatments for cognitive impairment are to be utilized successfully, clinicians must be able to determine whether they are effective and which patients should receive them. In order to develop consensus on these issues, the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) held a meeting of experts on March 20, 2014, in Washington, DC. Consensus was reached on several important issues.

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Objective: Failure to adhere to treatment with antipsychotic medication is the most common cause of relapse among patients with schizophrenia. A novel multifamily group (MFG) intervention, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), demonstrated efficacy in increasing medication adherence and decreasing rehospitalizations in schizophrenia patients. This report explores the hypothesis that the improved outcomes obtained through the MFG approach were mediated by changes in the patients' attitudes toward medications, subjective norms-social influences, and perceived behavioral control of resources.

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Background: Ibogaine is a naturally occurring hallucinogen with postulated anti-addictive qualities. While illegal domestically, a growing number of individuals have sought it out for treatment of opiate dependence, primarily in poorly regulated overseas clinics. Existing serious adverse events include cardiac and vestibular toxicity, though ours is the first report of mania stemming from its use.

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